Mainstream News

Shedding New Light On Basement Marijuana Technology

"I've known GGL for years, and I knew that even when it was illegal, he used marijuana for medical reasons. The whole grow-your-own was a new thing for him -- and me. Gardening is generally pretty low-tech. Growing plants in one's basement in order to maximize output while minimizing input is not, and it satisfies GGL's inner tech geek in ways that just cultivating plants would not. He gets the same way about brewing beer, about hunting for razor clams, and about re-engineering instruments for RockBand. GGL is a man after PopSci's geeky heart and brain if there ever was one." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingShedding New Light On Basement Marijuana Technology

Prague sends aid package to Texas blast town in honor of shared Czech heritage

"Prague said Wednesday it will send thousands of dollars in funds to West, the small Texan town levelled last week by a factory explosion and whose residents are largely of Czech origin. The government has approved assistance of four million koruna (150,000 euros, $200,000), on the suggestion of Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg. Last week’s massive explosion at a fertiliser plant in the town of 2,800 residents killed at least 14 people, injured around 200 others and destroyed dozens of homes. Around three quarters of the town’s residents have Czech roots, making it one of the state’s main immigration hubs from the Central European country." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPrague sends aid package to Texas blast town in honor of shared Czech heritage

EU chief: Brits fighting alongside Syrian rebels pose ‘serious threat’ upon return

"Hundreds of young men from across Europe are fighting with rebel forces in Syria, the European Union’s security chief has warned. Britain has promised to step up its support for the rebels, hinting that it could be ready to send arms. But intelligence agencies have stepped up operations after a rise in the number of Europeans, notably from Britain, France and Ireland, joining fighters. Security bodies are tracking Brits and Belgians while the Netherlands has raised its terror threat to ‘substantial’ in part because of fears about citizens being radicalised in Syria. Mr de Kerchove, the EU’s counter-terrorism coordinator, said: ‘We are concerned, of course.’" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEU chief: Brits fighting alongside Syrian rebels pose ‘serious threat’ upon return

Swiss court orders stolen East German millions returned

"The ruling, upholding an earlier verdict by a lower court, concerns the transfer into a Swiss bank of 128 million euros from the communist East Germany after the impoverished country's demise in 1990. This transfer by Rudolfine Steindling, a colourful Austrian communist dubbed 'Fini the Red' who died last year, was conducted by a former subsidiary of Bank Austria, itself now part of Italy's UniCredit. In the 1990s Germany, by then reunified, complained that Steindling had no right to the money, which was amassed by East Germany charging fees from Western firms investing there, and that Bank Austria knew this." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSwiss court orders stolen East German millions returned

Lucerne orchestra axes concert with Depardieu over tax shopping

"The orchestra in the central Swiss city decided to scrap the May 25th concert over worries that the political waves caused by Depardieu’s tax avoidance activities would overshadow the performance. The film actor, one of the highest paid in France, recently took up official residence in Belgium and obtained Russian nationality to lower his income tax bill. Depardieu was criticized as 'rather pathetic' by French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault last December for his departure to Belgium, which sparked an angry response from the actor, who said he was handing back his French passport." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingLucerne orchestra axes concert with Depardieu over tax shopping

Munich football boss’s Swiss account becomes German political football

"German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday distanced herself from Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness, whose Swiss bank account and alleged tax dodge has poured fuel on a heated election-year debate. 'Many people in Germany are now disappointed in Uli Hoeness,' said Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert about the football club chief. The 61-year-old football legend voluntarily disclosed a Swiss bank account in January and was working closely with investigators on a tax evasion probe. At a Bayern Munich press conference, journalists were told that the event would be immediately scrapped if anyone asked about the tax issue." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMunich football boss’s Swiss account becomes German political football

Top ten celebrity expats living in Switzerland

"When was the last time you saw packs of photographers door-stepping the Swiss home of a star or politician? The answer is probably never. Welcome to Switzerland – the land where the rich and famous can walk down a busy street without anyone so much as batting an eyelid. Here, even the very notion of celebrity seems foreign. It’s no surprise, then, that increasing numbers of global celebrities are choosing the Swiss mountains over the Hollywood hills. Of course, camera shyness isn’t the only reason why celebrities choose to move there. Switzerland's famous tax breaks for rich foreigners have reportedly drawn many a minted magnate in recent years." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTop ten celebrity expats living in Switzerland

Zurich Mayor Renounces U.S. Citizenship Amid Tighter Tax Rules

"Corine Mauch, 52, a member of the Socialist Party born in Iowa City, Iowa, returned her passport to the U.S. Embassy as she regards Switzerland as her home and doesn’t want to deal with IRS paperwork. 'My relationship with the U.S. is limited to my very early youth,' said Mauch, who retains Swiss citizenship. 'Neither the double taxation or any new directives on the taxation of U.S. citizens outside the U.S. have affected this decision. But I won’t miss the U.S. tax bureaucracy either.' The U.S. is the only nation in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development that taxes citizens wherever they reside, including an estimated six million expatriates." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingZurich Mayor Renounces U.S. Citizenship Amid Tighter Tax Rules

Tina Turner claims Swiss citizenship

"Tina Turner, the US-born singer famed for hits such as 'Private Dancer' and 'What’s Love Got to Do With It', has become a Swiss citizen, the Swiss newspaper Blick reported. The 73-year-old retired entertainer, who has lived in Switzerland for nearly two decades, received her red Swiss passport with its distinctive white cross on it on Monday, the publication said. Swiss media reported in January that Turner was to hand in her US passport when she got her Swiss one. She was quoted as saying that 'I cannot imagine a better place to live' than in the European Alpine state, where privacy laws are strictly enforced." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTina Turner claims Swiss citizenship

White House: Internet sales tax ‘will level the playing field’

"'We believe that the Marketplace Fairness Act will level the playing field for local small-business retailers, who are undercut every day by out-of-state online companies,' said White House spokesman Jay Carney. The Act would require Internet and remote retailers to collect state sales taxes no matter where they are located when a transaction takes place, and advocates hope it would ease budget problems in many cash-strapped states. Opponents of the Act say it would still be unfair because retailers in a state which has no sales tax would still be liable to collect tax on purchases made in distant states which do have sales taxes." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhite House: Internet sales tax ‘will level the playing field’